Find Me Again
by salavibes
Summary: Mike has no memory whatsoever of the strange girl he had met or the incidents that happened in Hawkins on that fateful year of '83. However, Eleven remembers everything clearly. So what happens six years later when they catch themselves at the same party at the same time? You can be sure it'll definitely be a night neither of them will ever forget.
1. Chapter 1

**-Inspiration taken from Booklover1217- Well without further ado, Hope you guys enjoy the first chapter!**

* * *

"I can't believe I actually let you convince me into coming here" Mike muttered observing the house packed full of teens and obnoxiously loud music

Lucas slapped him on the back "Man, loosen up, It's the first party we've ever been to. Let's try to somewhat act like we've done this before"

"Yeah and Jennifer Hayes actually invited us! Dude do you know how lucky we are?" Dustin chimed in excitedly

Mike rolled his eyes "She only invited us so Lucas would do her english essay for her"

"Not true! I'm doing her essay because I want to help her out, also I'm closer to scoring her number.. I can feel it" Lucas smirked confidently "Here" He shoved a beer in Mike's face "You definitely could use this"

He waved his hands dismissively "Nah, I actually have to drive home tonight"

Dustin grabbed the beer "If Will didn't have SATs tomorrow we'd drag him here too, since both of you two could use some fun for once in your lives" he said, popping open the can

"What? I have fun!"

Lucas huffed "Sure, If you call spending the night alone playing atari fun. Don't get me wrong it's cool and all but Mike we're eighteen now and about to graduate soon. Learn to live a little."

Dustin nudged Lucas "You up for a round?" He said, pointing at the beer pong table

"Hell yeah" Lucas nodded in agreement

Mike grabbed his friends by the shoulders "Wait, what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, go mingle or somethin" Lucas called back, rushing quickly to the crowded table

"Yeah what he said" Dustin answered, catching up to his friend

Mike sighed, looking around at the growing party. More chaotic teens were piling in and more were definitely getting wasted.

This was not his scene at all. He would've rather stayed at home with a bowl of popcorn and an Indiana Jones marathon but no, he had to be that friend, the friend who's easily persuaded.

He cursed himself mentally as he found his way to the couch sitting down awkwardly between two couples making out.

* * *

"I can't believe you've never been to a party before, How can a friend of mine never have been to party?" Max asked rhetorically, marching her way through the door

El shrugged as she timidly followed behind

"Well my apologies for being a bad friend, but rule number one about these type of things" Max walked and grabbed a red cup from a nearby table "There are no rules!" She yelled excitedly, returning back to El

El examined it "Is that alcohol?"

"Only the best" Max replied, pushing the cup into her hands "Try some"

El grabbed it reluctantly and stared at the strange orange liquid

Max motioned for her to drink it

El took a gulp and winced at the strong taste of the hard liquor "What's in it?"

"Vodka and a little orange juice, your classic screwdriver, It's good right?"

She nervously faked a smile "uh.. yeah"

Max peered around the house "Wait right here, I'm gonna say hi to Jennifer"

* * *

Mike restlessly played with his thumbs as he grew bored. He wondered if it would be too early to leave and call it a night but he finally considered that maybe he actually should "mingle" or talk to someone to keep him preoccupied.

He quickly scanned the room for a prospect.

He scrunched his face in disgust as he witnessed one kid barfing into a potted plant "ew no"

"pass" he mumbled as his eyes darted towards the couple smoking blunts together

He shook his head at the jocks who were taking body shots off random girls "Don't think so"

His eyes drifted towards the door and he lifted his head up curiously

He hadn't seen this girl before, she looked as out of place as he did, but there was just something alluring about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He anxiously made his way towards her, feeling his palms begin to sweat and his heart race a little faster

She was beautiful but her beauty wasn't forced by too much makeup or by outlandish outfits like most of the girls there. She was a simple kind of beautiful. Her sandy brown hair fell in loose curls right below her shoulders and she modestly hid her curves behind a large pink sweater and jeans.

"Hey, excuse me" He mentioned tapping her shoulder

She swung around startled, accidentally spilling her cup onto his shirt

El cringed "Sorry!" she exclaimed quickly patting him dry "I'm so sorry! I bet there has to be napkins around here somewhere"

"It's okay, It's not even that bad" he laughed, rubbing the drink out of his shirt, "but I'm Mike by the way and you are?"

She then took her attention from his soaked shirt and placed it on his face for the first time "M-Mike.." She stuttered, her eyes growing wide

"Well technically Michael, but everyone calls me Mike"

"C-could you give me a m-minute" She put her hands to her head and quickly turned around

"Uh sure.." Mike softly said, hoping he hadn't already messed things up

El immediately ran up to her best friend pulling her away from the others "Max I-I don't think I can be here.."

She glanced at her with concern "What's wrong?"

"It's Mike he's-" El blurted instantly before stopping herself. She knew Max had no idea who Mike was or better yet why she was going through a sea of different emotions right now.

 _Mike and the boys had no recollection of ever meeting Eleven but yet she still remembered all of them, especially Michael Wheeler._

"Who's Mike? Is that an ex-boyfriend or something?" Max snorted, rolling her eyes "You'll be fine, take these and you'll forget him in no time" she said, handing El two shot glasses

El held them with an uneasy expression on her face "But-"

Max ushered her along "No buts.. Now go have fun"

El gripped the glasses firmly in her hands.

She was nervous and excited but it also pained her terribly to see him. Her emotions wavered back and forth while she fought with herself on going back to him or leaving for good. She had a feeling that this day could possibly happen and that she'd run into him again but she never imagined it being here, or today, or right now.

She took in a deep breath before rapidly swigging the two small shots

"Hey Mike"

"You're back" He replied, his face lighting up "I mean that's cool" He lowered his voice to mask his excitement "I never did catch your name though?"

She couldn't help but observe the attractive guy in front of her, he had changed so much. He was much taller now, she roughly guessed he was around six feet. He was also slim but moderately toned. She then gazed at his face, he had a little stubble along his chin and upper lip and his jawline was noticeable. His messy black hair was styled shorter than she had remembered. However, his freckles and dark eyes were the same from when they were kids and that's how she knew it was him.

"I'm El"

"El" Mike repeated under his breath "I haven't seen you around Hawkins before, are you new here?"

She began to feel real funny and lightheaded "I live in Jasper, right outside of Hawkins"

"Jasper huh? Nice place, I have a cousin who lives there"

The roaring music felt like it suddenly got louder. El couldn't take it, it was honestly making her head pound.

"You think we can go some place quieter? This music is way too loud" She asked, covering up her ears

"Um okay, I'm not sure where though" Mike replied, searching around for a quiet spot

"Upstairs maybe?" El answered, leaving hurriedly

Mike followed.

She led him down the hallway until they reached a small room at the end of the hall. She carefully twisted the knob hoping nobody was inside.

She proudly smiled once she saw the room was empty "Here" she waved Mike over

They sat in front of the bed on the floor of the vacant guestroom

"Soo how's Hawkins?" El asked, her words slurring

"Hawkins is nice, but not much happens. I've lived here all my life and I think the craziest thing that's happened is someone accidentally setting their house on fire" he chuckled

 _He didn't remember. He didn't remember any of it. The realization hit her like a wrecking ball but still she understood. He couldn't have remembered, his memories were taken from him._

"Well I reallyy like Hawkins"

"Really? what do you like best about it?"

"You"

In her drunken state she had spat out the first thing on her mind and she didn't regret it. She would always associate Mike with the first good thing that ever happened in her life. Her eyes drifted down to his lips and for some reason she suddenly craved them.

Mike faintly blushed, fully aware that she had too much to drink "Maybe we should grab you a cup of water" he said, getting up

El quickly pulled him back down "No, stay"

Mike felt the nerves in his stomach tighten but suddenly Lucas's words rang in the back of his mind "Learn to live a little" He sat beside her as he decided to let down his guard for the first time since the party had started. Maybe he should just give this a chance.

"Stay with me, okay?" El said, stroking his cheek softly

Mike looked into her hazel eyes and noticed there was sincerity to them. He then swallowed a hard lump as he saw her face getting extremely close to his.

Before he knew it they were kissing.

He could taste a trace of liquor as her tongue slipped into his mouth but he accepted it without hesitation.

Soon their kissing grew more heated and passionate.

They managed not to lose each other's mouths as she stood up slowly, grabbing him by the shirt and forcefully pushing him onto the bed.

She began to straddle Mike while he held onto her hips.

 _Out of nowhere his mind suddenly flashed to a girl with a shaved head standing in the dark woods drenched by pouring rain._

He blinked his eyes rapidly unsure of why he just pictured this. He then shook his head slightly desperate to clear his head of this random image.

He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer, doing his best to ignore what had just happened. In return, El responded by letting out a small moan and tilting her head to the side to deepen the kiss.

She traced her hand down his body until she reached his pants. She then tugged down on the zipper.

Mike pulled away and the two struggled to catch their breath "No, we can't.." He breathed heavily, zipping his pants back up

"Why?" El pouted, clearly disappointed "Don't you want me? I want you" she said, leaning into him

"You're drunk" Mike gently pushed her away before making his way off the bed "We shouldn't have done this, it's not right.." He mumbled guiltily

* * *

Once the two of them made it down the stairs he could tell the party had died down.

"Who's your ride for the night?" Mike asked her, noticing the mess of bottles and cans on the living room floor

"Um..Max but looks like she's not here, oh welll"

He had heard of Max before, apparently Dustin had met her at band camp in middle school and swore she was the hottest chick ever. But Mike personally didn't even know what she looked like and he knew he couldn't leave this girl who could barely walk straight here by herself.

"Can I take you home?" He asked while helping her walk

"You can take me wherever you'd like" She slurred happily, staggering into him

* * *

"You wanna know a secret? I've never had alcohol before tonight" El whispered

"I can tell" Mike replied clutching the wheel of his old station wagon "By the way what's your address?"

"You know you're pretty, really pretty" El said with a dopey smile

Mike purposely ignored her "Your address?" he asked again

"We could always just go to your house" she giggled

"El, come on. Just tell me"

"Fine, mister grumpy pants. Forty-five forty-five Sunnydale drive, or was it.. fifty-four-fifty-four" El shrugged, slouching down in her seat

He slowly exhaled knowing he'd probably end up driving all over Jasper.

"Mike" she said as a small yawn escaped

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for finding me again"

He wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion "Wait, what do you mean?" he asked quickly, but there was no answer.

Using his peripheral vision he saw that she had passed out in the passenger seat softly snoring while the passing street lights danced across her face.

* * *

"Well since the other house was boarded up, guess this must be where you live" Mike mentioned, putting the car in park. He then looked over to see her still sound asleep.

"El, wake up, we're here" He said, softly shaking her

She didn't budge

Mike panicked for a second but was soon relieved as he saw her chest steadily rise and fall with each breath she took.

He went to the passenger side and opened the door. He then scooped El into his arms and began to carry her to the little blue house.

Once he approached the door, he used his elbow to ring the doorbell

The door creaked open and suddenly he was met with a familiar face

"Um Hopper?"

"Mike?" replied the older man in definite surprise. His eyes then darted to the girl in his arms "El! Is she okay?"

"No worries, she just had a little too much to drink. She's fine though."

Jim's expression turned into mixture of disappointment and aggravation "I told her not to go to that party, Ugh.. Bring her inside" He motioned.

"I didn't know you had a daughter Hop" Mike mentioned as he placed the sleeping girl onto the sofa

"Well.. yeah..I adopted her some years back"

Mike looked over at Hopper whose beard now had some gray in it "So is that why you stopped being Chief of Hawkins? I haven't seen you in ages"

 _Truthfully, Hopper left Hawkins in hope that things would be easier on El. After she had killed the demogorgon, he knew she was still alive and he went to find her. However, once Eleven discovered that the boys memories of her had vanished she fell into a deep depression. Hopper knew it would be best to get her out of Hawkins all together so she wouldn't have to endure her own friends not knowing who she was. So that he did, but he could now see that things still didn't go quite as planned._

"Partly, I just felt like I needed a new start kid" He hesitantly answered, scratching his beard "But uh how do you know El?"

"We just met tonight" Mike said, averting his gaze as he remembered what their night had consisted of

Hopper sighed contently and smiled "Okay, well thanks for coming and dropping her off Wheeler. Tell your folks I said Hi" He said quickly, trying to rush Mike out the door

 _Hopper was glad that they had only met and the fact she was drunk meant she'd probably wouldn't remember much in the morning. He knew Mike meant well but he also knew that it would be quite hard on El to basically start over their friendship._

"Um okay.." Mike confusedly said, walking out the door. He then quickly turned "Wait, so what happened to her parents?"

"Goodnight Wheeler!" Jim yelled out, instantly closing the door

Mike walked off to his car with so many questions running through his mind. He had no idea why Hopper was acting so sketchy and it unnerved him. He was also intrigued by this new girl, he didn't know why but deep inside he knew that there was definitely something more to her.


	2. Chapter 2

El groaned as she smashed the off button on her blaring alarm clock as hard as she could

She stretched out her arms and let out a lengthy yawn before feeling an immediate throbbing pain in her head

Quickly she put her head in her hands wishing somehow it would stop "Ughhh"

El then awkwardly patted her forehead feeling what seemed to be a piece of paper of some sort.

She then peeled off the sticky note and read it.

 **Hope you had a great night yesterday. Don't forget, even after all the fun you still have school so don't be late.**

 **P.S. You're in deep shit kid. Love ya! - Hop**

She let out another loud groan then glanced over at the clock once again "Damn it" she mumbled jumping out of bed and rushing to get ready.

* * *

She braved the doors of Jasper High School knowing she certainly looked as bad as she felt right now.

Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she knew her clothes didn't match because she threw on the first thing she could find.

She sipped on a bottle of water hoping to ease her overwhelming migraine

"Hey El!" Max shouted running towards her in the hallway

"Hey.." she quietly mumbled back not quite feeling up for conversation

Max placed a hand on her shoulder "Phew, I'm so glad you got a ride home last night. I was gonna tell you that I was crashing at Jennifer's but I didn't see you"

El froze in place "What?"

Max looked her up and down "My god, are you hungover?" she laughed

"Sure I guess" El waved her off "But what do you mean you didn't take me home?" She emphasized while hopelessly trying to remember the previous night

"I didn't. The last time I saw you yesterday was when you were freakin about your ex or whatever"

El stared at her clueless "My ex?"

The redhead shrugged "Yeah, Mac or Mike or something like that, by the way I am offended that you've never told me about him, so details please" She huffed impatiently

El's mouth fell and her body stiffened as pieces of last night were finally coming back together.

"Mike.."

 _She suddenly remembered Mike approaching her and her accidentally spilling her drink on him. She remembered taking the shots and them going upstairs and… wait.. no._ _Her heart sunk as she recalled some of the actions she initiated but still it was all a blur._ _She felt sick to her stomach thinking of the possibility that she might have lost her virginity from a drunken one night stand._ _Ultimately she figured he must've been the one who took her home._

"Sooo who is he?" Max asked, playfully nudging her

"Oh um, he's just a childhood friend" El reluctantly answered, making her way towards her locker

Max quickened her pace "Let me guess, you dated your childhood best friend and he did something stupid which broke your heart but now he desperately wants you back. Hell, that's the worst."

"We never dated. I moved away when I was twelve and I hadn't seen him until..." she deeply sighed as those mixed emotions resurfaced "yesterday"

"But you're into him right?"

El's face fell as she took out her books and closed her locker

 _She had a special connection with Mike that she never had with anyone else. He was patient with her and despite her lack of words he understood her. He cared for her and accepted her for who she was even when she hadn't accepted herself. Mike had opened up her heart in a way that she never knew possible. He opened it up and there he occupied a space._ _Knowing he had long forgotten about her she eventually coped and despite how challenging it was she pushed forward._ _She moved on though or so she thought, but soon realized after running into him he still held that space in her heart and it was driving her crazy._

Turning to Max she struggled to find the right words to answer her question

The bell chimed loudly interrupting and El couldn't have been more grateful to go to class.

* * *

"Will, You should've been there last night, It was insane!" Dustin exclaimed in between bites of his bologna sandwich

Lucas eagerly nodded in agreement "There was booze, babes, and illegal shit! And for once we weren't just some loser nerds, we were actually badass" he boasted, taking out his lunch sack and placing it on the table

Mike overheard as they shared every detail of last night's party with Will but he wasn't really paying attention. Instead, he kept thinking about all that had happened with the new girl.

"You gonna eat that dude?" Dustin asked, startling Mike out of his thoughts

He glanced at the bag of potato chips before pushing them over to a grinning Dustin

"You okay?" Will asked, knowing his friend hadn't talked much since lunch began

"I'm good, just have a lot on my mind"

Lucas eyes narrowed "Man where were you last night? We didn't see you after we finished up beer pong"

"Don't tell us you went home early" Dustin muttered in annoyance, popping open the bag of chips

"No, I didn't" Mike quickly reassured them "I kinda met someone and we um..hung out" he said, his voice growing quieter not wanting to spill too much information

The boys faces suddenly lit in amusement and right then he knew he probably shouldn't have said a word

"No way! Who?" Lucas questioned with a speculative look

"What's her name? Is she smokin? Wait, Is she here right now?" Dustin excitedly babbled glancing around the cafeteria

Mike nervously scratched his neck "Uh, She's from Jasper, her name's El."

"I remember her! She's good friends with Max" Dustin yelled out in sudden realization "Fuck, Max got hotter, don't get me wrong El is hot too but I have a thing for redheads"

"Is Max that chick whose tits you kept staring at?" Lucas laughed, pushing his friend

"Well they were huge" He jokingly cupped his hands to his chest "could you blame me?"

Lucas took a big gulp of soda "Pretty sure she thinks you're a creep"

"Do you think you could get Max to give me El's number?" Mike disrupted with an element of hope to his voice

Dustin frowned in disappointment "Sorry dude, I sadly don't see Max much anymore. The party was the first time in awhile."

"Wait, you didn't get her number?" Will chimed in trying to understand how that could happen

"No, I uh.. didn't have the chance.." Mike replied, looking down at the table to hide his embarrassment

Lucas shook his head "You finally have the balls to hang with a girl yet don't get her number, great going"

"Look who's talkin" Dustin sneered "You still haven't gotten Jennifer Hayes number"

He swiftly hit him "Shut up! That's different!"

* * *

After a long school day, it was finally time to head home.

The engine knocked around noisily as he started up the old brown car.

Mike laid his head down on the steering wheel feeling defeated.

He had no way of talking to her again, they went to two different schools in two different towns. And knowing his luck she probably had a boyfriend anyways.

Why was he so intrigued by her? He couldn't shake the thought of her as much as tried. The look in her eyes, her tender smile, and the taste of her lips was all he could think about.

He glanced over at the passenger seat and a glisten quickly caught his eye

He looked over to see the sun shining on a small silver tube, picking it up he closely observed it moving it around in his fingers.

He cautiously pulled off the cap and saw that it was pink lipstick.

Mike gave a half smile figuring that she must've accidentally left it behind

Then it hit him and his smile grew knowing he now had an excuse to go see her because after all,

she probably needed her lipstick back.

* * *

Mike anxiously drummed his fingers on the dashboard, staring at the blue house in front of him.

He had driven thirty minutes to return her lipstick to her but hadn't yet mustered up the courage to get out of his car. What was wrong with him?

He leaned back in his seat trying to overcome the nervousness he was feeling.

A sudden tap on the window made Mike jump up in surprise and hit the car ceiling "Ow, Shit!" He mumbled rubbing his head. He then looked over his shoulder to see El standing outside.

He rolled down his window as fast as he could

"Uh hey" He choked out, waving shyly

El leaned on his car door "So you're following me now?"

Mike frantically grabbed the lipstick and showed it to her "You left this, I just came to give it back"

She took the tube from him and eyed him curiously "So you came all the way here to give me my lipstick back?"

"Uh yeah." Mike said realizing how stupid he seemed right now. "Well there you go, so I'm gonna leave now" he then turned back on the car

El put out her hand "No, wait, Thank you for the lipstick and also for the ride home last night.."

"It was no problem"

El looked down at her shoes "I just want to know something.. last night in the room.. Did we.."

"No. We didn't." Mike finished quickly shaking his head "but I shouldn't have allowed things to get that far. I'm sorry"

El let out a breath of relief "It's not your fault. I never get drunk. I was uh.. well, that girl you met last night, the drunk one.. That's not me. I wasn't thinking straight" She stumbled over her words as blush crept on her cheeks

Mike couldn't help but smile noting her transition from such a blunt and bold individual at the party to a shy and awkward one right now "Well I would like to get to know you, the sober you" he softly chuckled "I hadn't eaten yet so I was gonna grab some food. Would you like to join? It be my treat"

El's mouth went dry and butterflies exploded in her stomach. Mike was still as sweet as ever.

 _Why did he have to be so damn sweet? Why couldn't he just be a huge jerk so she could move forward with her life and finally leave him behind?_ _She knew hanging out with him was only going to hurt like hell but still she wanted to. Maybe she was an emotional masochist or something but she just had to reconnect with this boy from her past._

Her smile fell as she remembered why she was outside in the first place "I would love to but I can't.."

Mike turned his eyes away in disappointment "Oh boyfriend huh?"

"No, chores" she said picking up a rake from the ground "Punishment from last night's escapades" she groaned

Mike rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Okay well, what if I helped you finish your chores?"

El waved her hands dismissively "No, no, no, I couldn't let you do that"

"So let's knock this out really quick" Mike shot her a smirk while opening the door of his car and stepping out "I'm starved"

El rolled her eyes and smiled at him "Fine" she mentioned tossing him a rake "If you insist"


	3. Chapter 3

"Well I guess since last night didn't really count, we should reintroduce ourselves. I'll go first." he said clearing his throat "Hey I'm Michael Wheeler but call me Mike" He stuck out his hand

El laughed softly "Eleanor Ives" she said giving his a hand a shake "But I go by El"

"So tell me El, are you a frequent party goer?" Mike asked, biting into his cheeseburger.

They had finished all of El's punishment chores in a couple of hours. Mike didn't know much about the town so El suggested a local burger place which also happened to be her favorite.

El snorted "Not at all, that was my first party and probably my last. I'm more of a stay at home, watch movies, and read comics kinda girl."

Mike eyes widened in amusement "For real? Same here! Well guy.. not girl." he cringed slightly at his awkwardness "but that's cool! so what's your favorite comic?"

 _It was hard to think that this boy was the one who introduced her to comics in the first place. She felt a twinge of heartache as she remembered twelve year old Mike telling her all about X-men and their powers and explaining to her how she could use her powers for good just like them._

She cracked a small smile as she repressed those feelings forcefully. "I'm a big fan of the X-men comics. Hopper always jokes around and tells me that I should pack up and move to the comic book store because I spend so much time there."

"It's crazy how we live in such a small world! You know Hopper actually used to be the Police Chief of Hawkins when I was a kid."

El sipped on her strawberry milkshake and hastily nodded acting as if this information was new to her.

"So we talked a little last night when I dropped you off and I think it's so awesome how he adopted you." Mike then uneasily shifted in his chair trying to figure out how he should approach the subject. "If you don't mind me asking.. what happened to your birth parents?"

She hesitated for a moment and took in a deep breath. "My mother passed away before I met her and my father.. Well, he was an awful man. He would-" she paused as her voice cracked and she struggled to finish her sentence.

"It's okay, you don't have to." Mike reassured her, placing a comforting hand on hers.

She lifted her eyes to meet his and she suddenly felt an indescribable warmth.

 _He looked at her with such care and compassion just like he had six years ago. The wall that she had built up and perfectly constructed was suddenly being torn down just like that, and there wasn't anything she could do about it._

During the remainder of their lunch they discussed their favorite movies, favorite things to do and places to go, their school life, and what colleges they wanted to attend afterwards. Mike was set on Indiana State University for computer science while El who was still undecided, knew she wanted to major in education so she could become a teacher.

Mike liked how she would laugh at his jokes even though they probably weren't really that funny. He also liked how she understood his nerd references about star wars that most people wouldn't get. He felt comfortable around her, a feeling he normally never felt around girls. He didn't have to worry about being cool or impressive or anyone other than himself.

But before they knew it, it was already seven and it was time to get El home.

They walked slowly to her front door trying to squeeze in some more conversation before she went inside.

"Thanks for the lunch, I had a lot of fun today." El mentioned, standing in her doorway not quite wanting to leave.

Mike stuffed his hands in his pockets and nervously swayed. "Me too, maybe if you want... We can do it again sometime?"

El looked up at him and smiled. "I'd like that, here let me give you my number." she then fumbled around in her purse for a pen.

 _Suddenly, Mike saw the girl with the shaved head sitting in what appeared to be a homemade fort. "Hey I never asked your name" he then glanced down at her and read 011 that was inked onto her outstretched arm._

"EL! Get inside!"

Mike was immediately disrupted from his thoughts. He stood their with wide eyes trying to process why he was once again seeing things.

"Here." El said shoving a piece of paper in his hands. "I have to go. Call me tonight?"

Mike finally broke from his trance. "Oh yeah okay" he muttered running his hand through his hair "I'll um.. talk to you tonight."

El waved to him before running back into her house.

He stood there wondering what was happening to him. The young girl he had saw in the vision well she kinda looked like El. It didn't make any sense though, none of these random visions did.

"'What's wrong with you man? you're losin it, get a grip." Mike mumbled to himself smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand.

* * *

"Hey Hop!" El happily chimed, she walked in the door still thinking about her day with Mike.

Hopper glared at her with hard eyes while he stood there with his arms crossed.

"I know I had chores and everything, but I finished them all." She said patting him on the shoulder. "So no worries"

"You can't see Wheeler anymore." Hopper instantly spat out, catching her off guard.

El's eyebrows furrowed while her demeanor changed into a serious one. "What do you mean?"

A frown tugged the corners of his mouth. "He doesn't remember you kid and it's gonna be torture for you, I know it."

 _After El had killed the demogorgon and left, the CIA came to Hawkins a day later. They forced everyone involved to have their memories wiped because of all of the information that was leaked regarding the government's affairs with Hawkins lab. Hopper and El were the only ones who made it out with their memories still intact because she had used her powers to stop the CIA from finding them._

"It doesn't matter."

"But it does, You and I both know that it does." Hopper reasonably replied. "Hell, it's the whole reason why we moved."

"Well if that's the case than we should've moved to Illinois." she retorted her voice stiff "I know he doesn't remember, but I do. The little boy I once knew is still there inside of him and when we talk there are moments when it's almost as if nothing has changed."

Hopper stroked his beard "Things have changed though El. You just have to learn to accept that and move on." he sighed "I can't let you see him, I know you don't understand now but maybe one day you will."

El shook her head. "No, you can't do that." she protested.

Hopper's face held a solemn expression. He honestly felt bad for doing this but he knew he was protecting her this way. "Sorry, but I have to. You're not allowed to see him and that's final."

"No! That's not fair!" El yelled, choking back tears. She ran off to her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

She sat on the edge of her bed with her face in her hands for what seemed like an hour.

She had never screamed at Hop before and she felt guilty for it, but still he was being completely irrational. She couldn't help think that despite how tough it was for her with Mike, he still made her happy. And well, if she had to then she'd deal with this by herself and it would be worth it. He was worth it.

The phone rang and El lifted up her head.

She then picked it up "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Mike."

"Hey!" she responded cheerfully "So I was thinking about how awesome today was and I was just wondering... if we could hang out again this weekend?" she asked optimistically, while twirling the phone cord around her fingers.

"Sure that would be great! What about Saturday?" he replied, his voice beaming with excitement "You could come over to my place, we can order a pizza, and watch The Empire Strikes Back."

El brightly smiled "Perfect, It's a date."

* * *

The week flew by and it was now Friday. El knew she had to figure out a plan and fast.

"Is there any way you could give me a ride to Hawkins tomorrow?" She asked hopefully, while they made their way to class.

Max's expression peaked with interest. "Hawkins? What's in Hawkins?"

Her cheeks reddened "Well uh.."

"Hmm or should I say who? she asked, reading El's face like a book "Let me guess, it's that guy isn't it?"

El glanced down at the binder in her hands, slightly embarrassed. "yeah, Mike. uh we're supposed to hang out tomorrow so I was just wondering.."

"Why don't you just get a ride from Hop?"

"He doesn't exactly know.." she mentioned quietly as though she'd get in trouble

"I can't believe it! First you're getting drunk and now you're sneaking around? I like this new side of you. It's wild." Max remarked with a huge grin plastered on her face "Well if you're gonna do this then you're gonna do this right."

El stared blankly not quite knowing what she meant.

"So here's what you're gonna do." Max motioned for her friend to come closer. "You're gonna tell Hopper that you're staying the night at my house."

"You want me to lie?" she inquired

"SHH listen, So I'll drop you off and when you're done with your lil date or whatever just give me a call. I'll pick you up and then you can crash at my place, it's not exactly lying."

El's eyes lit up feeling better about the plan "Have I told you lately what an amazing friend you are?"

"Ya know, I honestly don't hear it enough." she teased "but I'm mainly doing this because I just find it so amusing that you're actually being a bad ass rebel and breaking rules." Max said shooting her a smirk.

 _El normally didn't defy orders, especially not Hopper's but things were different now._

 _Mike was back._


	4. Chapter 4

**Here it is, The chapter you've all been waiting for. I hope I did well on this, I literally spent most of the week trying to make sure it was correctly written. Love the reviews though, please keep them comin!**

* * *

"Mike, are you sure you don't want to come with us to visit your grandma this weekend?" Karen asked her son for a third time, hoping he'd change his mind.

"I'm sure mom." He said helping her load up the van.

"Your grandma's not getting any younger ya know" Ted bluntly stated, shoving another bag into the already packed vehicle.

Karen slapped her husband lightly on the arm "Ted!"

He looked at her and shrugged. "Well it's true"

"So what are you gonna do while we're gone?" Karen questioned, returning her attention to Mike.

Mike softly kicked the dirt. "I don't know, probably catch up on some homework or hang with the guys. You know the usual." he said, playing it cool. He knew his mom would flip if she found out a girl was coming over.

"Oh okay." Karen nodded. "Well why you're at it, take care of the house. Please don't forget to take out the trash and do the dishes."

"Will do."

"And if you need us, call us. I also left a list of emergency contact numbers on the fridge just in case."

"Mom.. I'm eighteen"

"I know but still, You can't be too careful. Also, there's leftovers in the fridge in case you get hungry."

Mike huffed impatiently. "Yeah, I know. Thanks"

"Also-"

"Karen hurry up, I don't wanna hit traffic!" Ted called out, loudly honking the horn.

"Coming!" She yelled back. "But love you and you know where to find us if you change your mind." Karen said, giving him a quick hug.

Mike rolled his eyes and smiled "Love you too."

Holly tugged on his shirt. "You sure you wanna stay home by yourself?" she asked with a tint of sadness in her voice.

Mike ruffled her hair with his hand "I'm sure squirt. But.. on the bright side since I'm not going, there will probably be extra ice-cream just for you and we both know there's nothing like grandma's ice-cream, that's for sure."

"Oooh, you're right.. More for me!" Holly chirped, seemingly satisfied with that idea.

"Haha have fun, just don't overdo it though." Mike chuckled. "See ya later Holls."

"Later Mike!" She yelled back while she pranced her way to the van.

* * *

"So is this his place?" Max asked, pulling up in the driveway.

"Yeah. This is it." El replied in awe, enraptured by all of the pleasant memories familiar with this house. She was happy to have found out that the Wheeler's hadn't moved after all these years.

"You're lucky that I have to go get some errands done. Because if i didn't, I so would go in to meet this boy and embarrass the shit outta you."

 _El was slightly relieved, she was already nervous enough and she definitely didn't need Max to add to it._

"But I should be home around eight, so just gimme a call any time after that and I'll come get you."

"Thanks. I really do owe you one." El smiled at her, opening up the car door.

"Yeah, yeah. But don't do anything I wouldn't do." Max then paused and thought about what she had said "Never mind, scratch that. Just don't do anything stupid." she emphasized.

"Don't worry, I won't but bye Max! Thanks again!" El waved to her friend as she made her way to the front of the house.

* * *

"Welcome" Mike said, walking her into the living room. "I'm currently popping some popcorn for the movie but uh there's pizza and soda if you want." he thumbed towards the kitchen.

"Sounds good." El walked in and took note of the house and how it had changed over the years.

"Just make yourself at home. I'm gonna go get the movie from upstairs, I'll be right back."

El observed the family pictures on the fireplace mantle.

In one of the photos it looked as if Nancy had graduated high school. Their parents along with Mike (who looked around fourteen at the time) and Holly were there standing beside her.

In another picture, It looked like the Wheeler's were on vacation. The sun glowed on the ocean in the background while the family stood all packed in together with smiles on their faces.

 _Looking at these photos made El think something she hadn't thought about before. Maybe Mike not remembering was actually a good thing. She knew if he remembered all that happened, his life and his family's lives would have turned out completely different. Was she being selfish for wanting him to remember her?_

"Found it!" Mike hollered, running down the stairs with the vhs tape in his hand.

El jolted away from the mantle, hiding her overwhelming thoughts with a simple smile. "Awesome."

 _They sat in the living room together eating pepperoni pizza, while pausing the movie every ten minutes to discuss their favorite jedis and fan theories._

 _El would laugh at Mike's point on Yoda impressions and beg for him to do more. They also had a popcorn fight midway through the film and before they knew it they started paying less attention to the movie and more attention to each other._

"You have some popcorn in your hair" Mike chuckled, placing the now empty popcorn bowl on the table.

"Well gee I wonder why" El stated sarcastically, flashing the boy a playful smirk.

"Well you started it so.."

She scoffed. "I started it? Need I remind you that I only threw one piece and you threw a handful!"

"You waged war, I had to defend myself somehow." Mike teased

"You're such a mess, you know." she said, shaking her head. "But is all the popcorn out?" She ran her fingers through her hair.

"There's still a piece right there." He pointed.

"Where?" She asked, trying to find it.

"Right…." Mike leaned closer to her. "There." he said pulling out the small kernel.

 _He didn't move, He couldn't. His attention was completely captured by the glisten in her hazel eyes. She was so beautiful and he suddenly felt the unbearable urge to kiss her._

El's eyes met his own and her nerves began to take over noting how close their faces were to each other.

Mike could feel his heart bursting inside of his chest. He couldn't help it anymore and he soon closed the gap in between them.

He gently pressed his lips against hers, secretly hoping that he hadn't just messed everything up between them.

El could feel the butterflies dance in her stomach. She deepened the kiss and softly moved her lips against his while wrapping her arms around his neck.

 _The movie played on in the background but they didn't even notice. It was as if time stood still. This kiss was unlike their very first one and she couldn't recall their drunken ones so she couldn't compare. But this.. this kiss was special. It was officially their first date kiss and everything just felt so right._

A booming knock on the front door startled them and they both pulled away at the same time.

Mike read the disappointment on her face and immediately felt confident that she had liked the kiss as much as he had.

"I'll go see who it is" he groaned, annoyed by the ruined moment. He then got off the couch reluctantly to answer it.

"Hey Mike!" his group of friends chorused as soon as he opened the door.

"Uh, guys I'm kinda busy tonight so..."

They all pushed their way through the door, ignoring his comment.

"We just got our hands on the remastered edition of Galaga!" Will yelled out, gripping the game tightly to his chest.

"Guys…"

Lucas glanced at the others. "I call first dibs on the Atari!"

"Not If I get there first!" Dustin retorted, pushing Lucas and sprinting off.

Will and Lucas quickly trailed behind. Mike let out an exasperated sigh, cursing under his breath.

The boys raced into the living room and then stopped abruptly.

El's eyes grew huge at the sight of the familiar faces in front of her.

"Looks like Mike's entertaining a lady friend." Dustin mentioned jokingly to the others.

"Shut up." Mike muttered, making his way into the room. "But guys, this is El." he motioned to the girl on the couch "And El, this is-"

"Dustin, Lucas, and Will." She blurted, shocked to see them.

Mike's face wrinkled in confusion. "Wait, how do you know their names?"

El tensed up, catching her mistake. "Um, you told me earlier, don't you remember?" she quickly fibbed.

Mike blinked slowly trying to recall, before shrugging it off. "Well, guess I did."

The three of them standing in front of her had all changed some since she last saw them.

Dustin's teeth had grown in. However, his mop of curly hair was still quite unruly and even though he was still hefty he had grown a lot since they were kids.

Lucas was tall and lanky. His hair had grown out more into an afro and he had a small mustache lining his lip, but other than that he looked relatively the same.

And Will..Well she wasn't around him much but she could tell the small changes. He sported glasses now and no longer had the bowl cut hairstyle but instead his hair was combed back smoothly. He still remained the smallest of the group and even though they were all the same age he looked as if he was the youngest.

"Ah.. so this is El." Lucas gave Mike a knowing look and grinned. "Well it's nice to finally meet you, Mike talks about you all the time."

"Do not." Mike said through gritted teeth.

 _El's heart dropped to her stomach noticing that they didn't remember her. She knew they wouldn't have, but still in person realization hit her harder than she expected. She basically had to meet them for the first time all over again._

"Nice to meet you too."

Dustin glanced around the messy room. "Dude, why is there so much popcorn on the floor? What were you guys doing?"

"Well we were watching a movie.. but you know." Mike grumbled, hoping they'd catch a hint.

"Cool. what movie?" Will asked, glancing at the t.v.

"The Empire Strikes back." El answered with a smile.

"What? You're a Star Wars fan?"

"Yeah! Return of the Jedi is my absolute favorite. Their amazing plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the hut gets me every time."

"An actual girl who likes star wars. Who would've thought? Mike, I like her already." Dustin mentioned, before stuffing a slice of pizza in his mouth.

Lucas immediately looked over at his friend. "There's pizza?"

"Yeah and soda!"

Lucas rubbed his hands together with a satisfied smile growing on his face "Save me a slice."

Mike let out a defeated sigh. "Oh yeah sure, go help yourselves."

The boys stuck around longer than Mike expected. They stayed and finished up the movie with Mike and El and then played a couple rounds of Galaga before Will reminded Dustin of the physics project they had to get done. Mike noticed that El didn't really mind their company and it surprised him. They all got along together so fast and so well it seemed like they had been friends since forever.

Mike anxiously scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that, I swear I had no clue they were coming over."

"It's fine, I actually had so much fun. They're great guys." El softly smiled, glad that she was able to reunite with them all.

Mike looked down at his watch and saw how late it was. "So do you want me to give you a ride home?"

"No!" she blurted out, knowing Hopper would kill her if he found out they hung out together.

"No?"

"I mean um no-no it's fine.. Max is gonna pick me up. I just have to give her a call."

"Oh alright, Well the phone is right over there on the table." Mike said under his breath, doing his best to hide the disappointment in his voice.

El softly touched his arm "Thanks for tonight. I enjoyed hanging out with you."

He gulped as her touch sent electricity coursing through his body "Y-You're welcome."

"And for the record you're not such a bad kisser." She muttered, giving him a small smirk.

Mike blushed profusely. "Err..well you're not so bad yourself."

El looked up at him with longing eyes "It's a shame we were interrupted."

Mike stared at her dazed. "Yeah.. Shame.."

And that's when it happened. She suddenly crashed her lips onto his. She couldn't tell you exactly why she did it either but yet she did and she liked it.

He didn't relent, instead he kissed her back.

She tightened her grip on his neck and he moved his hands from her back down to her waist.

Mike pulled El gently down onto the couch.

El's tongue brushed against his lips begging for entrance. He parted his lips letting her in and she explored his mouth with her tongue until she found his own.

 _It was all happening so quickly. Things were getting heated fast and it was almost if she lost her self control. She had never allowed previous dates with other guys to go like this, never in a million years. She honestly had not even seriously dated because that's how guarded she was,"Was" being the key word. Her guard didn't exist with Mike. It was just different with him._

His lips moved onto her neck while she pressed her hand against his chest. She softly moaned, as he traced his free hand under her skirt and up to her thigh.

She lifted up his shirt and tugged at it. He got the message and took it off himself.

She found herself staring at his toned chest, but he soon disrupted her leaning down to kiss her again.

El stopped him. "Let's go to your room." she heavily breathed.

 _She knew if this was gonna happen she wanted it to go how she had imagined and that definitely wasn't gonna be on the couch in his living room with a bunch of family portraits awkwardly eyeing them._

Mike nodded in agreement, panting for air.

* * *

He sat on the bed, suddenly aware of what was about to happen.

El closed the door. "I haven't done this before." she nervously uttered.

"We don't have to, if you don't want." Mike said with sincerity in his voice, making sure she knew that he wouldn't pressure her into anything she wasn't comfortable with.

"I want to." El stated, pulling off her sweater and taking off her skirt.

Mike swallowed a huge lump in his throat while he stared at the girl in front of him. She was absolutely perfect.

She softly smiled at him knowing she had his full attention. She then pushed Mike onto the bed, kissing him passionately.

He loved the way her warm body felt pressed against his and He kissed her back while she straddled him.

His hands desperately searched the back of her bra for the clasp. Once he found it, he unhooked her bra and it fell.

Wasting no time, Mike then quickly undid his belt and took off his pants and underwear, while El slipped out of her panties.

They both gazed at each other's naked bodies, marveling at each unique shape and taking it all in.

Mike tenderly grabbed her breast in his hand and fondled it while sucking on her neck. She eagerly mewled, craving more.

She then planted wet kisses along his bare chest and suddenly she could feel him harden against her. Her heart raced faster and she could almost swear it was audible.

"D-Do you have a condom?" El asked, her voice shaky.

"Yeah." Mike breathed, reaching his arm to open his bedside table drawer and grabbing one.

He ripped open the small blue packet with his teeth and quickly put it on.

"Ready?"

"Ready." El nodded. And with her confirmation Mike positioned himself over her and lined himself up with her entrance.

He released a warm breath and kissed her neck once more. She moaned and Mike took that as a signal. He then slowly pushed into her.


	5. Chapter 5

_The young girl laid on the table looking weary and defeated. Her tattered pink dress and dirty blue plaid shirt showed evident signs that she had fought a long and hard battle._

 _The lights blinked on and off, while rapid gunfire could be heard from outside the room._

 _He grabbed her trembling hand and held it in his. "Just hold on a little longer okay? He's gone. The bad man's gone and we'll be home soon. My mom, she'll get you your own bed. You can eat as many eggos as you want and.. we can go to the snowball."_

 _"Promise?" her voice quavered as she gripped onto his hand._

 _"Promise."_

 _They held onto each other and locked eyes, knowing that no matter what happened they would always have each other._

 _All of a sudden they were interrupted by a high pitched monstrous shriek._

Mike jolted up from his bed, struggling to catch his breath.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" El inquired, putting back on her clothes.

He glanced at her before glancing down to see himself partly covered with a sheet. He soon figured that they must've fallen asleep after their intimate night together. "No, just… a weird dream." he quietly mumbled.

 _This time instead of random flashbacks he dreamt of that girl with the shaved head who looked oddly similar to El. She even had the same eyes as her, however, this girl's eyes looked solemn and for some reason fear hid behind them but he didn't know why. Also, why was this certain girl always recurring and why did he feel such a strong connection with her? Was he going bat shit crazy?_

"We'll I've gotta run, the taxi I called for is probably here by now." El rushed, awkwardly hopping around trying to put on her shoes.

Mike got up from the bed and grabbed her gently by the arm. "Wait."

El's cheeks turned a light shade of pink noticing that the sheet covering him had fell. "I-I can't. I've really gotta go."

Mike glanced down at her arm as she tugged it away.

He froze and his mouth dropped when he saw the faded tattoo she had etched into her skin.

"I'll call you!" She shouted back, swiftly leaving the room.

* * *

"So did you have fun last night?" Hopper asked, while he cracked open eggs and put them in a pan.

El leaned back and forth on the balls of her feet, anxious to go into her room "Um.. yeah, It was pretty fun I guess. "

She had literally just got home ten minutes ago and she now found it hard to look Hopper straight in eye especially after everything that happened last night.

Hopper shot her a smile while he placed the pan on the stove. "So what all did you girls do?"

"Watched sappy movies, talked about clothes and makeup. Ya know just girlie things.."

Jim slightly nodded his head. "Glad you had a good time kiddo. I've got breakfast comin though, so grab a seat."

El nervously rubbed her arm up and down. She felt bad lying to him which made her feel that much more uncomfortable to be around him. "Actually, I'm not all that hungry. I'm still a little tired so I'm just gonna head to bed.."

"Aw come on, but I even made your favorite. We've got blueberry eggos with scrambled eggs and bacon. You can't pass that up."

"Uh.. sure." El guiltily mumbled, sitting down in a chair at the dining room table.

"You're all quiet and stuff today, you doin alright?" Hopper asked, placing a plate of food in front of her.

She stuck a fork into her eggs and unknowingly moved it around. "I'm fine.. Just stayed up too late last night, that's all.

Hopper squinted his eyes. "What's that on your neck?"

El dropped the fork and immediately covered her neck with her hand. "Nothing-It's nothing." she mentally scolded herself for completely forgetting about the lovemarks Mike had left behind.

Hopper grabbed her hand and pulled it away.

El abruptly got up from the table with a panicked expression.

"I can't believe you." he mentioned coldly under his breath, as he lowered his head.

"I-I can explain"

"Well unless you're a damn lesbian now.. Tell me the truth, you weren't with Max last night were you? You were with that boy!" His voice bellowed.

El shifted her eyes to the ground unable to say a word. She stood there silently.

"That's what I thought."

"Hopper please, just listen to me." she pleaded.

"You lied to me El.. I don't know what's happened, but this isn't like you. The drinking, the lying, the sneaking out... It's not you. Now I understand how Wheeler must feel because even I don't know who you are anymore.."

Those words felt like a baseball bat had just swung full speed right into her. She had never seen Hopper this disappointed before.

Her heart plummeted. "I'm so s-sorry." she choked unable to stop the tears that now flowed freely to her cheeks.

"So am I, for actually trusting you." Hopper sighed and turned from her. "You're grounded until further notice. No more phone, no more tv. You go to school and you come straight home from school."

She looked at him pained. "But-

"And no buts!" He interjected."Now go straight to your room." He commanded shifting his gaze from her. "I can't even look at you right now."

* * *

"Are you alright? You never called me Saturday or answered any of my calls, I've kinda been worried.." Max trailed, as her eyes landed on her dismal friend.

El slowly closed the book she had been reading and placed it down. "Hopper found out.."

"What? he found out? how-" Max eyes then caught sight of the purplish bruise that El poorly tried to conceal with makeup. "Wait.. No fuckin way... is that a hickey?!"

The librarian quickly interrupted them, glaring at Max "SHHH."

El self consciously put her hand up to her neck, her face burning red.

Max glanced at the librarian and lowered her voice. "So that's why you never called me." She smirked knowingly. "Oh my god. You slept with him!"

"It all happened so fast.. We were talking one minute and then we kissed and then... I wasn't planning it, I swear."

Max grinned as she scooted her chair closer to El. "This is mind-blowing, I actually didn't think you would lose your virginity until you were like married or something.

El shot her a skeptical look.

"What? I don't mean to sound rude, it's just that I've never seen you so caught up in a guy.. He really must be something special huh?" the redhead mentioned softly nudging her.

 _Mike was special alright. This boy didn't even remember her yet she still couldn't help but feel her heart exploding like the fireworks on the fourth of July every time she was around him. His smile took her breath away and his kisses made her knees weak. She was falling hard and she was falling fast._

El nodded.

"Well when am I gonna meet him? I've heard so much about this guy but have yet to meet my best friend's virginity stealer."

El made a face at Max's choice of words and then shrugged "I don't know.. I'm on restriction. I can't call him or hang out with him for who knows how long."

"Well you have to figure out something or that poor kid is gonna think he's a victim of a one night stand."

* * *

 _El had the same 011 tattoo as the girl he kept seeing in his visions. Was this merely a coincidence? Or maybe his mind was playing tricks on him again? He had fought himself all day about what was happening, he knew he needed to talk to somebody._

"Quick question, I know this might sound strange, but have you ever heard of a person being called eleven? Or having super powers?" Mike mentioned to Will as the two of them sat on the bleachers after not being picked for the gym class basketball game.

Will gave him a puzzled look. "Are you referring to comics or real life?"

"Real life."

He gave it some thought. "Um.. no.. why?"

Mike soon regretting the question knowing it was probably stupid of him to ask. "No reason." he quickly stated. "Just some dumb dream I had the other night that's gettin to me, It's nothing." He brushed off.

 _He had been replaying that dream in his mind all day and it was driving him up the damn wall. Maybe the flashbacks and the dream had a meaning of some sort but he just couldn't wrap his mind around it._

"Well speaking of the other night.." Will winked. "I think El is actually pretty cool, she suits you."

Mike then stared off into the distance, placing his attention on the ball being dribbled up and down the court.

"What's wrong man? Did something happen between you two?" Will asked, breaking the unusual silence.

"I haven't talked to her after…" Mike paused, hesitant on sharing their private information. "She, well.. She won't answer my calls."

Will placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You had sex with her didn't you?"

Mike rapidly turned his attention towards him. "Wait, how do you know?"

"I've been your best friend since fourth grade, you really think I wouldn't catch on? plus you suck at hiding things." Will softly laughed.

Mike grew embarrassed knowing that his friend could easily read him. "Please don't tell-"

"Dustin and Lucas?" Will answered. "I know. They would lose their shit. But, no worries, I won't say a word."

"Thanks." he breathed in relief. "But do you think she just wanted us for a night?" he gulped then asked the question that had been weighing heavy on him the last couple of days. "Or did I completely screw things up?"

"Neither." Will shook his head. "Maybe she just isn't ready for a relationship or maybe she's worried about how things will be between you two now. Whatever the reason, If it doesn't work out then it just wasn't meant to be.. but all you can do is try."

Mike gave the small boy a faint smile as he grabbed up his backpack and stepped off the bleachers.

"What are you doing?" Will asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Trying."

* * *

 **I know ya'll wanted more smut, but I just couldn't get it to flow well for this chap. But who knows maybe there will be some more later on. Keep posted friends (;**


	6. Chapter 6

Mike stood outside of his car impatiently waiting in front of her school building for what seemed like years.

He shifted around uncomfortably, doing his best to keep warm as the chilly November air continually nipped at his face.

 _He had practiced what he was gonna say in his head at least a dozen times or so. This was it, the moment that would decide the fate of their relationship once and for all. Oh, how he wanted her, but most of all he wanted them. Together. Was that too much to hope for? Did she even want that?_

Suddenly the bell rang and he perked up as a large group of teens emerged from the building.

He carefully searched each face one by one, to see if he could find her.

"So did you hear about what happened with Jessica Andrews and her boyfriend Rodney?" Max disregarded the fact that her friend was the least bit interested and continued to explain anyways.

El kept quiet and simply nodded while she continued to walk alongside Max, exiting the double doors.

 _She had a lot on her mind, she couldn't help but think about the other night with him. They had shared in something beautiful and it was more than just a physical experience for her but rather a new and personal connection. The unbearable weight of not being able to see Mike or talk to him was crushing her and she didn't know what to do about it._

"EL!" a familiar voice rang out.

She immediately turned her head to the side to see a messy black mop of hair peek out from the crowd. She then caught a glimpse of his face and a gather of butterflies danced in her stomach. She couldn't stop the soon growing smile that quickly plastered on her face. "Mike?"

He pushed his way through the sea of students and made his way up to her. "I'm glad I found you.. I just-"

"Well, well, well, So this must be the infamous Mike I've heard so much about." The redhead, chimed in, eyeing him up and down curiously. "I'm Max, El's best friend."

"Nice to meet you Max." he fastly replied, shaking her hand.

Max turned to El giving her an approving look while mouthing "he's cute." before turning back to him. "So tell me what brings you here?"

"I uh actually need to speak with El."

Max slyly smiled. "We'll I'll leave you to it. Marlow's coffee shop is calling my name anyways." She then faced El. "Give me all the details girl. I'll see ya later." She whispered before walking away.

"So you're following me now?" El smirked, standing closer to him.

Mike's breath caught in his throat while he gazed at the rich caramel eyes in front of him. The words he had practiced all day disappeared and soon his feelings came pouring out. "If you need time to think about us or if you just need time to yourself, I'll completely understand but just please let me know that what happened between us wasn't a mistake."

"It wasn't. Even though unexpected, It was special and I don't regret it." she softly stated.

Mike gave her a half smile then his face slowly fell. "But you haven't answered my calls..."

"That's because I'm grounded."

"How come?"

El inhaled deeply. "It's a long story." she then gently gripped his cold hand. "I'm just so glad you're here though."

He looked down to see the tattoo on her arm once again. There was no way he was seeing things this time. "Your tattoo, what does it stand for?" He suspiciously questioned.

El pulled her arm away. "Nothing, it's just my lucky number." she had told that lie for years whenever asked about her tattoo and everyone bought it, they were more enthralled by her actually having ink than anything else.

Mike glanced around at the many people around them. "I actually want to talk to you about something." he said, refocusing his attention on her.

"What is it?"

"Can we talk privately?" He then opened the car door for her.

 _They sat in the silence of his car while Mike struggled to gain the confidence that he needed in order to talk to her about his visions. He had no idea how he should approach the subject without her thinking he had lost it but he knew he had to. El was somehow wrapped in his mind, caught along in the web of this parallel world. The stark coincidence that she had with this young girl he kept seeing was very odd, but if anything maybe El could help ease his mind._

El looked over at him to see the growing worry lines on his forehead. "Is something wrong?" she sincerely asked.

"This might sound crazy but you have to believe me.." he stammered, unable to look her in the eyes.

She gently gripped his arm reassuring him that he could trust her.

"I keep having these vision like things but the other night it was a dream. However, in each of them there's a little girl around twelve or so with a shaved head and she has that tattoo with the same number you have." He then pointed at her arm. "Eleven."

El's eyes grew wide and her pulse began to quicken. A mixture of shock, fear, and happiness all took over her at once. _He was remembering? But how?_

"This girl has strange powers though, she can like move things with her mind but yet she looks so scared like there's something evil after her. I know it's insane but I needed to talk to someone, it's been messing with me for awhile."

"F-For how long?" El sputtered, unable to hear herself think because her heart sounded like it was pounding in her head.

He pondered her question for awhile. "Well…actually since the party. And now that I think about it there's something else I've been meaning to ask you as well. When I drove you home that night I remember you saying something kinda strange."

He then turned and looked at her as though he was trying to piece a puzzle together in his brain. "You thanked me for finding you again. What did you mean by that?"

"Mike, there's something I should tell you." El curtly responded, knowing she had to tell him the truth about what his visions meant. "I'm" she swallowed roughly. "the little girl you've been seeing. You're remembering me."

He froze and then stared at her blankly. "What?"

"We knew each other as kids. In fact we were friends, You, me, Dustin and Lucas, We all helped save Will together."

He gnarled his fingers in his hair. "No, no, this doesn't make any sense."

"We both know it's the only thing that does make sense. Why else would you be having these flashbacks? Your memory is coming back to you in fragments."

"I've.. we'll I've gotta go." He muttered, as he hastily snatched the car door open.

* * *

The frigid winter wind violently whipped through the air but he paid no attention as he flung rocks one at a time into the lake and watched as they splashed against the water's surface.

 _He didn't know what to think._

 _He didn't know what to feel._

 _He recalled his flashbacks and every word El told him. They wove together and seemed plausible which probably scared him the most. But there was still that chance that she could be lying to him. But If she was telling the truth how could he not have remembered?_

"Hey.." El said gently trying not to startle him. "Kinda took awhile to find you." She uncomfortably chuckled.

He didn't take his attention off the lake and he continued to hurl rocks into it.

She carefully walked towards him. "If you don't believe me, I understand, but I can show you." she said almost as if she had read his mind.

"Show me, how?" Mike asked, his voice hard and indifferent.

Before he could throw the rock in his hand, it suddenly lifted into the air.

His eyes instantly darted at the girl who had used her powers to make it levitate.

Mike's jaw fell as he watched as she used her mind to throw the rock into the lake.

"It-It's true. You're her.." he stuttered, completely baffled. His mind began flooding with so many questions but he had something he needed to get off his chest first.

El wiped her nose with her sleeve and gave him a small smile.

"You've been lying to me this whole time." He harshly snapped. "And if I never had those flashbacks, I would have never known the truth." He grabbed a rock and chucked it with all his might into the distance.

El's smile faded as she was taken back by the sudden hostility in his tone. "I couldn't have told you! Do you honestly think you would've believed me?"

"It was worth a shot! Don't you think I deserved to know? We were friends El! We were damn friends and I didn't even know.." His voice cracked with a mixture of hurt and anger. He then sat on the edge of the lake burying his face in his hands.

El sat down beside him, gripping her jacket to keep warm while she gazed at the setting sun glowing brilliantly across the water. "I wanted you to know more than anything, I really did. It killed me that you didn't remember. It was hard on me every single time I saw you, but it wouldn't have been fair to force those memories on you."

He lifted up his head and faced her. "Why don't I remember?" he genuinely asked, his face full of sorrow.

"Well after everything happened, the CIA came and wiped your memory along with the others involved, that's why your family and friends don't remember either.

"I want to."

El curiously looked at him unsure of what he was trying to say. "You want to?"

"I want to remember it...all, not just bits and pieces but everything."

"Mike.." She said, shaking her head. "Trust me, you're better off not remembering. That year we met wasn't under the best circumstances by any means. It took an emotional and psychological toll on everyone, especially you."

"Please." His dark eyes grew desperate, almost as if they were pleading to her."I need to know what happened."

She slowly stood up and took one final look at the horizon, releasing a heavy sigh. She then looked down at Mike and offered him her hand. "Okay, then I'll show you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the late update, I've been on vacation but because of that here's a lengthy chapter for you guys.**

* * *

"El where the hell have you been? You're way past curfew!"

She made her way through the front door, purposely ignoring Hopper's out lash. It was almost eight and she expected this much but she didn't care right now.

He soon caught sight of Mike and his blood began to boil. "And what is he doing here?!"

"Just listen to me please." El put her outstretched arm in front of Mike almost as if she were trying to guard him.

"You have no explanation for this!" he fumed, angrily pointing a finger at her.

"Hopper."

"I don't know if you're going through a rebel phase or what but-"

"HE REMEMBERS!" She yelled over him.

Hopper soon stopped dead in his tracks. "What? You told him?" he morosely questioned.

"El didn't tell me anything." Mike interjected, finally speaking up. "She didn't say a word until I asked her about it."

"No, but that's impossible." He mumbled, studying the boy in front of him almost as if he were trying to analyze how that could've occurred.

"I've been having flashbacks in which I keep seeing El but there's something more that's happening in them that I don't know about, something strange.."

Hopper looked at Mike, a hint of panic glinting in his eyes. He suddenly wasn't able to find words to speak for the first time since they had gotten there.

"I need to know though. I want back every damn memory they stole from me." Mike mentioned under his breath, clenching both of his fists tightly.

"It's far too dangerous kid." Hopper pulled out a cigarette and anxiously moved it around between his two fingers.

"But why? Why is it so dangerous?" he sniped, his voice rising in frustration.

Hopper lit the cigarette and placed it to his lips. He took a long drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Just trust me, That year was something that nobody would ever want to remember."

Mike stood firmly and looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm not a child any more Hop, I don't need your fuckin protection.

After seeing the reaction on his face Mike felt a little guilty. He then backed away and slowly unclenched his fists relaxing himself. "For years, I felt as if maybe I was missing something. I didn't know what it was at the time though so I just lived my life, I tried to be an average teenager, I went to school, got decent grades, and was a good kid for the most part. But that emptiness was still there and I couldn't figure out why.

Mike then sat on edge of the couch clasping his hands together. "When I first met El she began showing me what I had been missing. That's when I began to see those memories for the first time and initially I was scared, I'm not gonna lie, because it was unfamiliar and I didn't know what was happening. I do now though.

Hopper's face expressed sympathy as he pondered the words he had just heard. He then smashed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and hesitantly sat beside Mike on the couch.

"And what's worse than not knowing is only knowing a tiny part of this huge picture from my past." Mike answered softly. "I know you and El both said that it's dangerous but I just have to remember.."

Hopper deeply sighed for he knew Mike was right for feeling the way that he did. "Alright kid, alright." he uttered, giving him a light slap on the back.

* * *

El sat on the other side of Mike on the little couch leaving him squeezed in the middle between both her and Hopper.

She grabbed Mike's hand in hers. "If at any time you want the memories to stop just let me know, okay?"

"Yeah Wheeler, and also I'll be right here just in case anything happens." Hopper gently stated, as he gave El a reassuring look.

Mike just gave them both a simple nod.

El gripped onto his hand a little tighter. She had never done this before and was suddenly feeling very tense.

She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She intently focused using all her strength, and slowly but surely she began accessing Michael Wheeler's mind.

She found out that his memories of 1983 weren't erased like she had initially thought, but trapped in the very recesses of his mind. A huge wall that must've been specially crafted by the CIA prevented his memories from ever resurfacing.

El noted the little crack inside the wall where some of his memories must've escaped. She figured that was how he was remembering her.

She then forced the crack open and it grew wider and wider until suddenly the wall crumbled and the memories began flooding out.

Mike's body jolted while beads of sweat formed across his forehead. His body trembled at the new information that rapidly pulsed through him.

 _He shot his eyes open, and he suddenly found himself playing D &D with his friends. They were all twelve, sitting in his basement, and eager to see how the campaign played out._

 _He had just slammed down the demogorgon and could see the rising aggravation on his friends faces._

Mike smiled contently at the memory that was being unraveled. Even though these were mere memories it felt all too real, as if this was reality for him. He felt the same emotions and could even see the world from his younger self's perspective.

As more and more memories played out, Mike's emotions shifted with each one. He felt unrelenting determination to find Will when he had gone missing, wonder and welcoming warmth for his new friend Eleven, and anger at Lucas for treating her so poorly.

Hopper never took his eye off the black haired boy watching the expressions on his face waver, he even tried to estimate what event was happening to make him feel those ways. Jim then saw a look on Mike's face that was similar to the one he always had whenever he was around El, one of nervousness, deep admiration, and dare he say it.. love?

 _Mike stared at the young girl in front of him. His stomach knotted as nerves began to take over. He searched for words to properly convey to her that he wanted to be more than just her friend._

 _"You go to school dances with ya know.. someone that you like." he stumbled over his words glancing into her hazel eyes to see if she understood before he embarrassed himself any further._

 _"A friend?" She asked, clearly puzzled._

 _He anxiously moved about in his seat while trying to think of how he could possibly tell her in a way that she would fully understand. "Not a friend.. uhh.. Someone like a.." He came to terms that there was only one option and that was to show her. Butterflies bursted in his stomach and he held his breath. He didn't give it a second thought and immediately he crashed his lips onto hers, giving her a brief kiss._

Blush rose on Mike's face in real time and Hopper eyed him skeptically, not quite knowing what was going on through his mind.

But his face soon contorted, as he filled with panic. He shook his head and muttered "No." under his breath once he saw that the bad men were coming for them.

 _"Mike.. Mike.. Mike.." repeated a very weak Eleven, reaching her hand out towards him._

 _Mike struggled to break free from the strong grip one of the men had on him._

 _But he soon stopped, his eyes grew wide and heart sputtered in his chest once he saw the enormous grotesque creature break through the school's wall._

Mike's breathing grew shallow and he jerked violently from side to side, his hand still tightly clasped with El's who was now bleeding profusely from her nose and ears. Hopper grabbed him by the arms to restrain him. "Mike, It's okay. You're okay." he said in an effort to calm him down.

But Mike didn't hear Hopper and as the memory dragged on he began to break down emotionally. Tears began slipping down his cheeks and he continually jerked his body around in vicious fits.

 _Eleven turned to look at him, her eyes filled with pain "Goodbye Mike." she softly said, before turning back to the monster she had pinned against the blackboard._

 _She then let out a high pitched scream while she destroyed the demogorgon once and for all._

 _Mike covered his ears and slammed his eyes shut not quite wanting to see this goodbye take place._

 _Afterwards, he opened them to see nothing but black specks floating to the ground and just like that she was gone._

Hot tears now poured down his face, while he continually cried out for her.

Hopper couldn't bear to look anymore and averted his gaze as Mike screamed out in anguish. He knew that these memories would be painful and it was hard for Hop to watch as the teenaged boy's body shuddered in grief.

The last memory that Mike saw was the CIA knocking on his front door.

 _He could see his parents opening it and talking with them but he couldn't make out what they were saying. His mom called for him and Nancy to come over and they did. However, Mike was wary of the men in front of him with the strange suits and guns._

 _"What are you doing here?" Mike shot apprehensively, not trusting them in the slightest._

 _"Michael!" Karen yelled under her breath giving him a cold look. "Manners, please."_

 _"Yeah listen to your mom, son." Ted rushed, only adding on so he wouldn't have to hear about it from Karen later._

 _"We need you and your family to explain exactly what you encountered this past week." One of the CIA agents abruptly answered not phased at all by Mike's unwelcoming behavior._

 _"No." Mike bluntly replied._

 _"What was that?" The agent asked, now skeptically eyeing the young boy in front of him._

 _"They're the CIA. are you insane?" Nancy muttered through gritted teeth._

 _Karen blanched, hoping that Mike hadn't just got them in serious trouble. "Michael Edward Wheeler you will cooperate or so help me god you will never see your dragon game again." She then turned calmly back to the agents. "That'll be no problem, my son is just a little out of it.. This week has been really hard on him."_

 _Mike harshly glared and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "No, I'm not telling you guys shit."_

 _The agent drew his gun and held it to they boy's head. "I'm not going to ask you again.. you will tell us everything you know."_

 _After the CIA agents got all the information they needed they then took out a special device that looked like a helmet of some sort and forced each of the Wheeler's to wear it one by one. This device quickly made them forget about the events that had occurred that week, the memory of eleven was gone, the upside down.. gone and the demogorgon was now back to only being just a mere fictional creature._

Mike jerked awake, panting hard and quickly eyeing the room around him before remembering that what he saw were only memories.

 _The images of that fateful week paraded around in his mind. He remembered it all clearly now, the manhunt for his lost friend, the hiding a girl in his basement, the white van flipping over their heads, the first time he fell head over heels, and the monster._

"Are you alright?" El cautiously asked. Her sleeves stained red from all the blood she unknowingly wiped from her face. She was tired, but now that she was older she had better control of her powers and didn't get as weak as she had before.

Mike staggered up to his feet and he put his hands to his head, still trying to sort all this new information about his past. It was so overwhelming that he felt almost as if he were drowning, struggling to catch a breath of fresh air.

Hopper broke the silence. "Wheeler?"

"I-I-I just.. I need some air." Mike shakily answered, before immediately darting towards the door.

El chased after him, concern prevalent on her face. "Mike!"

A large hand grabbed her and pulled her back. "Let him go El." Hop mentioned, knowing that Michael probably needed to be alone right now.

They both watched as he left the house and then soon after they heard the sound of his car revving and tires screeching against the street.

"I need to go find him, I need to make sure that he's okay." El hurriedly stated, pacing eagerly around the living room.

"He'll come around, it's just a lot for him to take in at the moment."

"What if he doesn't though? El choked, holding back stinging tears. "What if... he hates me now?"

Hopper noticed the desperation in her eyes. "Trust me, that boy could never hate you." He then wrapped her in a comforting embrace. "Just give him some time, kid." he calmly uttered, stroking her hair gently, he could feel her tears soaking into his shirt. "Just give him some time."

* * *

And that she did,

It had been a week and she hadn't heard from him or seen him.

Her thoughts continually battered her day in and day out as she begun to think the worst. _What if he was still mad at her for not telling him sooner? What if he now thought her powers were no longer cool but freaky? What if he had told his friends all about what happened and he no longer wanted to see her_?

She pressed the button on the voicemail recorder only to once again be reminded that he hadn't called her back.

El slunk back in her bed defeated, hoping to somehow sleep the saturday and her feelings away.

The doorbell rang, and she set up in her bed startled. She glanced at her clock noting that it couldn't be Hopper because he was still at work plus he had a key anyways.

Maybe it was Max? El hadn't exactly been herself lately, so knowing Max she probably wanted to force her out of bed to go hang out or something.

El groaned at the thought and reluctantly got up to her feet to answer the door. She really wasn't up for an adventure today, she hadn't even got out of her pajamas and it was already three in the afternoon.

"What is it Max?" She muttered in annoyance, opening up the door.

"Uh hey.."

El stood there surprised, noticing the familiar pair of dark eyes were definitely not Max's. "Mike?"

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." El replied quickly, doing her best to smooth down her messy hair.

Mike stared at the ground silently almost as if he were trying to figure out how to start a conversation for the very first time. He then slowly looked up at her. "I'm sorry.. I hope you didn't think I was purposely ignoring you."

"No it's fine, don't worry about it, are you okay though?"

"After you showed me everything.. us finding Will, the Upside Down, the Demogorgon and all that. Through everything I saw, you know what was the hardest for me?"

El shook her head.

"Losing you, not once.. But twice." He then shifted uneasily, shoving his hands into his pockets. "When I saw you disappear after you killed that monster, my world shattered but I still had hope you know? Hope that I would see you again but then those bastards came and stole you from me.. and I-" Mike's voice cracked, unable to hold back the tears.

El moved closer to him, subtly interlacing her fingers through his.

"I needed time because I was so angry, I hated them for what they did. But then after awhile.. I started hating myself." he said in between faint sobs. "I should've done more, I should've fought harder for you.. for us."

"Mike it's not your fault, there was nothing you could've done." El said sincerely, gently rubbing her thumb against his.

 _He stared at the girl beside him, feeling as though he was truly seeing her for the first time. She still had the same expressive features. However, her hazel eyes were no longer sad and empty but full of life and wonder and her hair was longer now, her soft curls bouncing below her shoulders._

 _It suddenly hit him that he missed her so much. His heart started welling in his chest and his stomach twisted almost as if the years they lost were suddenly catching up to him all at once._

"I love you." those words poured out of his mouth so perfectly it was almost like he had rehearsed saying them all of his life.

El's eyes crinkled as a vibrant smile sprung on her face but before she could say anything back, Mike placed his lips on hers.

 _This kiss wasn't unlike any they shared before. It wasn't a shy puppy love kinda kiss. It wasn't just some drunken kiss that wouldn't be remembered. It also wasn't an impulsive kiss just to see what each other tasted like._

 _This kiss was a passionate burst of feelings in which had been hidden away so long, the display of deep love and reunition combining into one._

They broke apart, both feeling a little breathless.

El then gently stroked the side of his face with her fingers. "I love you too, Mike."

He then grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer. "Is Hopper here?"

"No, he's working and won't be home till late." El replied, smirking devilishy.

"Good." Mike mentioned, quickly lifting her up.

She let out a small giggle as he raced her towards the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

They laid naked together in El's bed, only partly covered with a thin sheet.

Mike softly played with her hair while she hummed feeling satisfied from their recent intimacy.

"You know what I've noticed? El asked, turning over on her side to look into his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"That no matter what happens.. You always find me." She said softly.

He gave her a half smile. "Looks like even the universe can't keep us apart.. I guess we were always meant to be."

He moved his face closer to hers and he could feel her warm breath against his lips.

"Yeah always." She repeated, suddenly lost in his gaze.

He then brushed his mouth against hers.

* * *

Eleven never forgot what Mike had told her that day.

It was honestly true, because so many things had come against them.

Everything that happened could've torn them apart for good, and honestly it should've.

El wasn't supposed to escape Hawkins Lab.

Mike wasn't supposed to be out in the woods with his friends on that rainy night.

El wasn't supposed to kill the demogorgon and survive.

And Mike definitely wasn't supposed to remember her after his memories were stolen.

Also who would've predicted that Mike and El would be at the same exact party on the exact same night six years later?

It was crazy, it was unheard of.. It was fate?

Yes, fate. The only plausible explanation.

It was fate that kept them together despite the constant ongoing obstacles in their way.

Fate that told them that no matter what happened they would still end up right where they belonged.. and that was together.

And that's how they spent the rest of their senior year.. together.

Even though they still went to different schools, they managed to squeeze in phone calls, dates, and even some alone time despite their busy schedules.

Hop had apologized many times for being so hard on El and he really started warming up to Mike.

He knew Mike only had good intentions and him and El were so happy together.

Although, he was still wary of the two being all touchy feely and stuff, she was his daughter after all.

Mike and El also eventually told their friends about the whole ordeal. They would have to admit it wasn't the easiest thing to do by any means.

Their friends all reacted differently to the new information from their past.

Lucas refused to believe any of it, Will was skeptical but yet he trusted them, and Dustin just prayed they were telling the truth because according to him it would be the most badass story in history.

But just like with Mike, El helped each of the boys to remember.

They came to terms with it and learned to accept their dark past. They grew a definite bond with El because of it, but also oddly enough they grew an even closer bond with each other.

But since Max wasn't there that year in Hawkins, El had to fully explain it to her. It was hard though.. because unlike the boys, Max didn't take the news very well.

She was furious that her best friend had kept such a secret from her for all those years.

However, after a few blow ups and crying sessions, El and Max were eventually back on good terms.

 **1 year later**

"Mike, where are we going?"

"You'll see." He smirked, keeping one hand on the steering wheel while his other hand was busy holding onto hers.

El rolled her eyes playfully. "You've been saying that for the last hour though."

"Exactly, it's only been an hour did you really expect a different response?"

She laughed and shoved him gently. "You're such a mess, ya know"

"True, but I'm your mess." He replied, with a wink.

El fidgeted in her seat restless. "Ugh, You're gonna drive me crazy if you don't tell me where we're going."

"Well, what if I said we're here?" He answered her with a smile.

El sprang up excitedly in the passenger's seat and gazed out the window.

They quickly passed rows of palm trees and the smell of sea salt began to fill the car.

"The beach?!" She shouted excitedly.

"You told me that you've never been so I thought why the hell not? It is spring break after all."

She slightly frowned. "But.. I didn't bring any swimwear. I didn't think we'd be going here."

Mike let go of El's hand and reached towards the back of the car. "Good thing I've got you covered." He said handing her a bright pink bikini.

El bit her lip. "Hmm, I have a feeling you brought me here just because you wanted to see me in this bikini." she said, waving it around.

"Pfft.. what? No.." Mike scoffed mock offended, as he put the car in park.

"Mhmm sure." El teased. "But race ya there!" she said suddenly opening the car door and bolting out.

"Hey! Wait! No fair! You had a head start!" He shouted, grabbing all their things and chasing after her.

Mike watched as she ran off into the white sand, glancing over her shoulder at him with the brightest smile on her face.

He stood there for a second, captivated by her, the moment, and the ocean breeze.

"Thanks for finding me too, El."

* * *

 **I know it's sad that this chapter was short and this story has already come to an end. It was pretty much done but you guys begged for another chapter so I didn't wanna leave you hanging. But If you liked this and wanna read some more of my work pleaseee check out my new story Pocketful of Stars! Thanks for reading though, I appreciate all the comments!**


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